


She Is Staggering

by neabee



Category: Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, F/F, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 00:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4767278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neabee/pseuds/neabee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade, Jesy, Leigh-Anne, and Perrie are all dancers. Jade who does ballet meets Leigh-Anne and develops a crush on the hip-hop dancer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Is Staggering

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starvingsnout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starvingsnout/gifts).



> fic title from a polaris song

“And Arabesque!” The dance coach's voice echoed throughout the studio, the elegant dancers moving in time with the composition.

“Shoulders back, yes! You all look so graceful and beautiful! Right dancers you’re turning into.”

Clapping her hands, she grins excitedly at her group of young students, “Alright, that’s it for class today! Make sure to stretch and do not forget that our recital is in one month, so what does that mean?”

She scans the faces before her before answering herself, “Have your piece ready! You’re dismissed and I’ll see you Tuesday.”

“Hey Jade, lets go out tonight! Let’s get Jesy and go out.” Perrie said excitedly.

Jade gave Perrie a look, but seeing her begin to pout she sighed and gave in, “Fine! But I can only have a few drinks, I still have class to go to tomorrow.”

Squealing happily she jumped into the air, a smile taking over her bubbly face.

“Great! I’ll text her over lunch.”

Jade couldn't stop the fond grin from overtaking her face, but she was much too fond of the blonde ballerina in front of her.

• • •

  
They entered the loud club that night with grins on their faces and a hop in their steps; Perrie was the first one in, fist in the air and a whooping laugh that got the attention of a few patrons, who couldn’t help but smile and shout back just as excited. Jesy and Jade were next, easy smiles on their faces with their arms wrapped loosely around each other’s waist. Perrie was practically dragging Jade into the club by her hand, Jade was still set on staying in for the night but Perrie knew she needed to relax and get away from her mind for a little while, and to Perrie drinks were the proper way to do just that.

“To the bar!” Perrie shouted enthusiastically, pulling Jade along behind. Jade rolled her eyes but allowed herself to be dragged to the bar. Perrie ordered them both sour apple martinis and a round of shots then turned to her best friend with a grin on her face.

“Are you ready to party?!” Perrie asked Jade, her hands resting on Jade's forearms.

“Well if you insist.” Jade giggled while rolling her eyes good-naturedly, motioning for the blonde to get the drinks from the bartender. Perrie paid before grabbing the tray of drinks, weaving through the crowd of people following Jade to a booth where Jesy sat. When they were sitting Perrie handed one of the shots to Jesy and one to Jade giving them a smug grin then downed it in one go, Jesy followed suit and Jade copied both of the girls but she couldn't help but cough and make a bitter face at the sting the alcohol makes going down.

"Not much of a shots girl there, Jade." Jesy observed giggling. Jade shook her head her eyes watering.

Perrie handed her a martini instead then scanned the crowd of people dancing in the center of the club. "Not many dancers tonight." Perrie mused.

"No, not really." Jesy agreed. "Who wants to change that?" she asked.

"Mee!" Perrie cheered as they slid out of the booth. Perrie had two empty shot glasses in front of her, and Jesy had one shot glass with half a martini gone. Jesy signaled for the bartender as they left, a skinny, blonde Irishman with a charming smile and gorgeous eyes, and ordered each girl two more shots of something that sounded too strong for Jade's personal taste.

Once the drinks arrived Jade cheered for them on the dance floor chugging her own martini wanting to have a good time tonight. Jade scanned the club watching everyone dancing and drinking and blinked slowly, trying to remember when she downed the rest of the shots from the table. She could already feel the effects of the alcohol and decided she wanted to dance with Perrie and Jesy. “Perrie!” She yelled from the edge of the dance floor.

“Hey, babe!” Perrie turned and waved Jade over to her and Jesy where they were both dancing in time with the generic club mix the DJ for the night had started blasting for the night. Jade made her way through the crowd finally reaching her two best friends and begin swaying and spinning to the beat and twirling her arms above her hair. After a good half and hour of dancing the three decided to take a break and headed back to their booth. Jade continued to scan the crowd of people while sipping another drink. She spotted a girl that was clearly a dancer based on the graceful way she was moving to the beat of the song. This dancer had beautiful, natural hair and was wearing a sleeveless, black crop top with printed black and white leggings, and platform work boots that Jade figured only this mystery girl could wear at a club and look cool.

"So you like Leigh-Anne then?" Jade felt Jesy whisper in her ear next to her.

"What? Who?" Jade turned startled.

Jesy giggled at Jade's reaction and responded, "The girl you've clearly been staring at for the last ten minutes, babe."

"Oh. Well I don't know her. I just think she's a good dancer is all." Jade defended herself.

"Well, I would assume she is, as she goes to our dance studio. She takes hip-hop with me." Jesy told her.

"You know what, Jade? You should go talk to her. You obviously think she's cute." Perrie jumped in the conversation.

"Yeah, well I would need at least another shot before I even got within ten feet of her." Jade mumbled nervously.

"Well that can be arranged, love." Perrie said nudging a shot glass in Jade's direction across the table. Perrie and Jesy both leaned toward her with expectant looks on their faces.

"Fine, fine! I'll go you two." Jade said and then gulped down the shot with a grimace at the bitter liquid.

Perrie and Jesy both squealed and clapped while Jesy practically pushed Jade out of the booth. After Jade caught herself she turned and glared at her friends, who simply responded with their thumbs up and shit-eating grins on their faces. Jade made her way through crowd again towards Leigh-Anne racking her brain for something to say or do. However, with all her thinking she simply found herself standing directly in front of Leigh-Anne with her mouth open as if she was about to speak. Leigh-Anne looked at her a bit confused but interested in what Jade was going to do. Without thinking Jade simply grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled Leigh-Anne towards her own face kissing her. Leigh-Anne startled by the action didn't respond for several seconds, and Jade thought Oh, I've done it now. Way to go Jade. However Jade then realized Leigh-Anne was kissing her back. When they both pulled away to breathe Leigh-Anne smiled at Jade and introduced herself.

"Hi there, I'm Leigh-Anne." she said.

"Um… Jade." Jade responded now shy again. "Sorry for kissing you like that by the way. Or at all, really. I don't normally do that kind of thing. My friends just dragged me out tonight because I've been a bit sad and my dating life has been nonexistent." She continued on rambling. "Not that I expect that we're going to start dating at all. It's just I was watching you dance tonight and thought you were really great. Oh, god that sounded so creepy. I'm so sor-". Jade found herself kissing Leigh-Anne's soft lips once again.

Leigh-Anne pulled away from Jade chuckling. "It's alright. You're cute and I'm hoping and assuming you're not a creep." Leigh-Anne said.

"Uh, no, not at all. My friend Jesy actually said she knows you. Jesy Nelson." Jade replied.

"Oh yeah! We take hip-hop together. She's got some good moves." Leigh-Anne said. "Do you dance too?"

"Yeah at the same studio, I do mostly lyrical and contemporary work though, which is probably why you've never seen me." Jade said gaining back some of her confidence.

"Yeah, I never could understand ballet." Leigh-Anne mused. A few seconds later her phone beeped with a notification. "Oh no, I've got to go. My roommate's locked out of our flat. Here why don't you give me your number?" Leigh-Anne suggested handing Jade her phone.

"Sure!" Jade responded enthusiastically entering her mobile number into Leigh-Anne's phone. She then smiled at Leigh-Anne handing back the phone.

"Well, I'll see you around, yeah?" Leigh-Anne asked Jade.  
"Yeah, definitely!" Jade confirmed. She made her way back to the booth after losing sight of Leigh-Anne in the crowd. When she returned to the booth Jesy and Perrie were whistling and waggling their eyebrows at her. Jade rolled her eyes seeing her friends had gotten their hands on more alcohol while she had been talking to Leigh-Anne. She knew it was going to be tough to get them home without any real injury.

"So, how'd it go Jade? Or should I say how were Leigh-Anne's lips?" Perrie teased. Jade blushed at the question. "Really soft and nice. I did give her my number though." She responded.

"Well, that's good then. She can call you any time her lips feel cold." Jesy added.

"Alright, alright! Are you guys ready to go home?" Jade asked. "We still have class tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's go." They responded helping to pull each other up to a standing position.

"That is the last time I let you guys take shots that I'm not supervising." Jade told them.

• • •

  
At the flat that night Perrie and Jesy suggest Jade should try and partner up with Leigh-Anne for the showcase next Friday.

"That's a nice thought guys, but there's no way she'd ever go for that in a million years. Why would she want to partner with that girl who kissed her in the club last night? Besides she told me she doesn't do ballet." Jade argued.

"Alright, but you never know!" Perrie slurred and tapped Jade on the nose on her way to her bedroom.

• • •

  
The next morning the entire dance company was gathered in Studio A for a meeting with the head of the company. Jesy and Perrie both had terrible headaches while Jade's was only slightly better. 'I am never doing shots again.' she thought to herself.

"Alright everyone! I hope you all had a goodnight's rest. It's time to pick your partners for the upcoming public showcase and I'd like to remind you to pick another dancer who performs in a different style than you." The instructor added.

The dancers in the room quickly scrambled to find partners. Jade turned to look across the room for Jesy as she did hip-hop instead of ballet like Perrie, who Jade couldn't ask to be her partner. Unfortunately Perrie had linked arms with Jesy already snagging her as a partner for the showcase. 'Traitors.' Jade thought as she glared at the other two girls across the room with their only response being a simple shrug and a guilty smile.

"Is there anyone who does not have a partner yet?" The company head asked. Jade slowly raised her hand.

"I don't have a partner yet." A familiar voice said. Jade turned and blushed to see Leigh-Anne with her hand also raised.

"Great! Then Leigh-Anne you can be with Jade." The dance coach said.

"You can all separate into separate studio rooms to work on your pieces for the showcase." The instructor now spoke to the entire company.

"So, want to move to Studio K? It's probably the only one not claimed." Leigh-Anne asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Jade replied all of a sudden nervous to be in front of Leigh-Anne after last night's events.

They arrived at a standard dance studio room complete with a ballet barre against one wall as well as mirrors lining a wall in order for dancers to watch and correct their routines.

"So, I'm thinking we mix some ballet and hip-hop moves in our routine and combine both styles for the piece." Leigh-Anne suggested.

"The theme could be like 'two worlds colliding' then?' Jade added.

"Yeah, exactly! Maybe a west side story-esque piece." Leigh-Anne continued.

The girls found a track they both liked that sounded like it would fit well with the piece and begin choreographing.

"So maybe at this count we could switch styles and I'll do hip-hop and you can do ballet?" Jade suggested.

"Yeah, ok. So I could do a pirouette on three?" Leigh-Anne thought out loud. She attempted the pirouette several times with each attempt being slightly off-balanced and Leigh-Anne grew visibly more and more frustrated with herself.

"Ugh! See I told you I couldn't get ballet." She grumbled to Jade.

"No you can do it! Here, I'll help you." Jade said moving across the room to stand next to Leigh-Anne facing the mirrors. "So, just put your arms out in front of you in a circle shape, then place your dominant foot forward and kind of swing yourself into the direction of your dominant foot, so right, and while your spinning move your leg up to rest your foot that's in the air by your knee. It really helps if you focus on a spot on the wall before you spin and then when you spin whip your head back around to that spot and it'll give you a more balanced spin if that makes sense." Jade finished.

"Yeah, ok. I'll try again." Leigh-Anne reasoned. However, when she executed the spin her left foot wasn’t quite at her knee causing her to fall off balance into Jade.

"Oh god! See I told you!" Leigh-Anne complained with Jade still holding her.

"No, it was just your foot wasn't up…all the way…" Jade paused having lost focus in Leigh-Anne's deep, chocolate brown eyes. Leigh-Anne leaned her head up slightly and made contact with Jade's lips just like last night. Jade surprised for a second realized what Leigh-Anne was doing and began moving her lips in sync with Leigh-Anne. Leigh-Anne quickly realized how soft Jade's lips were and how much more she wanted to do this with Jade. When they pulled away they continued to stare at each other until Jade broke the silence.

"Ok, that time it was you." She giggled at Leigh-Anne.

"Yeah, I guess it was." Leigh-Anne blushed. "You know I think we worked on the piece long enough today. Wanna call it and pick back up where we left tomorrow?" She continued.

"Exactly where we left off? I don't know if that's appropriate." Jade teased.

"You know what I meant!" Leigh-Anne defended.

"Yeah, just teasing. We'll pick it back up tomorrow. Keep practicing that pirouette." Jade mentioned as she was walking out the door.

• • •

  
Jade met Jesy and Perrie in the café down the street from the studio for lunch. Since the girls had been dancing at the studio they met for lunch there after classes most days. She sat down at the table where Jesy and Perrie already were and smiled at the waiter, Niall, a sweet blond Irishman, who knew them all fairly well with the amount they came in. He brought Jade over her usual soy latte with two shots as well as a white chocolate mocha for Perrie and black coffee with three sugars for Jesy.

"So, girls how were classes today?" Niall asked when he set the drinks down.

"Good. Jesy and I are partners for the showcase. We're doing a jazz and hip-hop piece." Perrie informed him.

"That's cool! Jade who are you with and what are you doing?" Niall questioned.

"Oh, I'm doing a ballet and hip-hop piece." Jade supplied and then sipped her latte.

"And since clearly someone isn't going to say it herself. She's with a really hot girl named Leigh-Anne." Jesy said with a smirk.

"She's not hot!" Jade blurted. "She's… cute." She finished.

"Mhm, sure. So when is the showcase?" Niall asked.

"It's on Friday this week." Jade answered.

"Cool, I don’t have work! I'll see you guys then. I'll be right back with your food." Niall said and walked back to the counter.

"So, you really think Leigh-Anne is cute then?" Perrie asked.

"Well, yeah. Obviously I mean I kissed her last night." Jade said. "And today…" She mumbled.

"You what?!" Both girls squealed causing the other customers in the café to glare as well as stare curiously. The three girls ducked their heads closer together at their table.

"Yeah, she kissed me and it just sort of happened." Jade whispered and blushed.

"Oh, well now you definitely have to ask her out!" Jesy said.

"I'd say she definitely likes you if she's now made a move on you." Perrie agreed.

"I just wouldn't know what to say." Jade trailed off and sipped her latte thoughtfully.

"How about, Leigh-Anne you have a banging body and I'd like to bang you myself?" Jesy suggested and winked.

"Jesy! Be serious please." Perrie said. "Maybe ask her if she wants to go to coffee?" She suggested. Niall walked over with their meals.

"That's a good idea, Perrie. Niall, how do you feel about being a mediator on Jade's date if she starts drowning?" She asked. "Not that you would, love!" She said sympathetically noticing the offended glare from Jade.

"Sure, I'd love to help you out, Jade!" Niall said with a smile and then cleared away their earlier coffee cups.

"So, it's settled. You will ask Leigh-Anne on a date tomorrow." Jesy confirmed.

• • •

  
The following day in class Jade and Leigh-Anne actually finished choreographing their piece leaving them with a few day to practice. With their studio time coming to an end Jade figured it was now or never to ask Leigh-Anne out.

"Good practice today, Jade!" Leigh-Anne complimented.

"Thanks! You too." Jade returned. "So listen, I was thinking do you maybe want to…um…practice the last eight count of the piece?" Jade blurted nervously instead.

"Sure!" Leigh-Anne answered moving to turn on the stereo.

"Ok. I think I've got it! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Jade rushed out of the studio leaving a very confused Leigh-Anne behind.

 _"Fuck."_ She thought. _"I was meaning to ask her out. I'll just text her."_

_Jade: hey Leigh-Anne. it's jade. sorry for rushing out of practice today._

_Leigh-Anne: it's totally fine. you seemed like you were in a hurry._

_Jade: no actually just nervous. i wanted to ask if you want to go out for coffee tomorrow after class?_

_Leigh-Anne: like a date?_

_Jade: yeah if that's ok._

_Leigh-Anne: yeah i'll see you tomorrow :)_

• • •

  
Jade was nervous all through out their practice for their date afterwards. However, when she got to the café she had no idea what she was so worried about. Within ten minutes of talking with Leigh-Anne in the cafe she thought she was one of the nicest, coolest people. She also didn't need Niall to help her once. Jade was so happy with the date and proud of herself for kissing Leigh-Anne in the club that night in the first place.

• • •

  
It was now Friday; the night of the showcase. All of the pieces were finished and the dancers in their places for curtain. Jade and Leigh-Anne were a bit nervous for their piece, but ready nonetheless. Perrie and Jesy were one of the first pairs to perform their routine and it went stunningly with both of them in complete sync with each other. Jade and Leigh-Anne were one of the last performances scheduled that night and their turn had finally come. Both girls stayed on beat the whole performance and executed all the moves perfectly resulting in a standing ovation and Niall whistling and cheering in the front row. Leigh-Anne was so ecstatic she hugged Jade backstage.  
"We did it!" Leigh-Anne said in her ear over the noise.

Everyone began clearing out of the theater awhile later signaling the end of the showcase. Jade walked out on the stage in front of the lowered curtain and looked at all the empty seats, something she liked doing at the end of every performance. Someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned to find Leigh-Anne standing there with roses in her hand.

"Nice flowers." Jade commented.

"There actually… um…for you." Leigh-Anne said nervously handing the flowers to Jade.

"Really? They smell lovely!" Jade said sweetly.

"Well, you did a really great job, and I really liked our date and thought maybe we could go on another one." Leigh-Anne suggested.

"I'd like that." Jade said reaching for Leigh-Anne's hand.

"I still did a horrible job on the pirouette." Leigh-Anne said.

"Shut up! If anything I messed up my portion of the hip-hop!" Jade argued walking towards the stage door still holding Leigh-Anne's hand and cradling her flowers in the other arm.


End file.
